"The Wind Was Just Right"

[Ichingcarpenter]

Sen. Kennedy competing in ’Figawi’ sailboat race
By Associated Press

HYANNIS - Sen. Edward Kennedy felt well enough today(Monday) after his brain cancer diagnosis to compete in the second day of an annual sailboat race between Nantucket and Cape Cod.

The Massachusetts Democrat and a boatload of supporters took a ferry out of Hyannis to compete in the final half of the so-called "Figawi" race.

A spokeswoman said those joining Kennedy on his sloop "Mya" for the sail home would be his wife, Vicki, sons Edward Jr. and Patrick, and stepdaughter, Caroline Raclin. Sen. Chris Dodd of Connecticut, a close family friend, also was with the group.


He ended up skipping the first part of the race Saturday, as well as a commencement address he was slated to deliver Sunday at Wesleyan University. Instead, Kennedy asked Democratic presidential contender Barack Obama to address the graduates — including stepdaughter Caroline — at the Middletown, Conn., campus.

Asked why Kennedy took to the seas on Monday, spokeswoman Stephanie Cutter said, "The wind was just right."



http://www.bostonherald.com/news/regional/general/view.bg?articleid=1096439







:) :) :) :) :) :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup:

[DesertRat]

1. Beautiful.

:)

[Muttocracy]

2. excellent!!! nt

[gateley]

3. Perfect. The wind was just right. nt

[Warpy]

4. Some background on the Figawi Regatta

Weather off the coast of Cape Cod and the islands is chancy year round, but particularly in the spring. There is a permanent fog bank that rolls in and out and is totally unpredictable.

The Regatta has been sailed for years and got its name from the fog bank, meaning when it rolled in, all sailors would keep muttering, "Where the figawi?" until it rolled back out.

And that's how the Regatta got its name.

[Earth_First]

6. You're pulling my leg, right? n/t

[Warpy]

7. Nope

The story gets printed in the Cape Cod Times every year during the Regatta.

It used to be spelled "Fugawi," but I guess they changed it because it was a little too obvious in these days of family values conservatism.

[Earth_First]

8. Nice, thanks for the bit of folklore background! n/t

[rucky]

5. Now, THAT'S a fighter!

eom

[1776Forever]

9. Wonderful! Live everyday to the fullest! What a great picture of Ted!

:headbang:

[Stinky The Clown]

10. Figawi .... named for the incantation of a group of sailors from days past, lost in a Nantucket fog.

"Where the figawai?"

True

[Torn_Scorned_Ignored]

11. Let's give a hand to the Wind

:applause:

[Johnyawl]

12. Mya is NOT a sloop!! (god I hate the media)

You'd think as much maritime history and culture as Boston has, that the local newspaper would know the difference.

For the landlubbers amongst us (from wikipedia):

SLOOP: (from Dutch sloep) is a sailboat with a fore-and-aft rig and a single mast




SCHOONER: a type of sailing vessel characterized by the use of fore-and-aft sails on two or more masts.








And no, this is not a picture of Mya, it's the schooner Atalanta. I have a picture of Mya, but I don't have it hosted anywhere, and so can't post it here. Mya is a gorgeous 60' wooden schooner built by the Concordia Boat yard. Her hull is painted blue, the topsides are all varnished teak. There's a picture of her in the Jan 1981 issue of WoodenBoat magazine, (Before Kennedy owned her) when her hull was painted white. Sen Kennedy calls her his most "extravagant indulgence".